Driverless Audi RS7 does Hockenheim in 2 minutes

German luxury carmaker, Audi has sent a driverless RS7 around the Hockenheim circuit in Germany at racing speeds. The RS7 piloted driving concept, as it is known, went around the Grand Prix track in a just over two minutes.

For orientation on the track, the piloted driving system uses specially corrected GPS signals. This GPS data is transmitted to the vehicle via Wi-Fi according to the automotive standard and redundantly via high-frequency radio. In parallel to this, 3D cameras in the car film the track, and a computer program compares the cameras' image information against a data set stored on board. This is what makes it possible for the technology pioneer to orient itself on the track within centimetres.

The first successful developments in piloted driving were achieved by Audi ten years ago. Test results continually flow into series development. Audi claims that the test runs provide uselful information for the development of automatic avoidance functions in critical conditions.

With driver assistance systems, Audi aims to make driving more relaxed and better controlled. Some of these systems are available in the updated Audi A6 and Audi A7 Sportback model series. The offerings include Audi side assist, Audi active lane assist, and adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go function including Audi pre-sense front.

Audi's partners in the development of piloted systems include the Volkswagen Group Research, the Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) and Stanford University.